Apparatus for playing du plicate whist



L C. SLAVENS, Jr.

` APPARATUS FOR PLAYING DUPLICATE WHIST.

'(No Model.)

l .Elimina 2me/ Patented Jan. 7, 1896.

UNTTED STATES LUTHER C. SLAVENS, JR.,

PATENT GEETCE.

OF VVESTPORT, MISSOURI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,732, dated January *7, 1896. Application iiled March 2, 1895. l Serial No. 540,292. (No model.)

ing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in` apparatus for playing duplicate-whist or highfive card-games.

My invention consists in providing certain apparatus, hereinafter fully described and claimed, by means of which the several hands in the game of duplicate whist or high five are held separate until they have been played in duplicate.

My invention consists, further, in certain new devices for indicating the trump of the original hand and the leading hand in the said original hand. y

My invention further consists in certain new and improved means, hereinafter fully described, for disposing of the discards of each original hand, so that each set of cards may after the duplicate play be easily assembled.

My invention further provides a new means of securing the card-holders to the boards or trays, by means of which the holders may be replaced easily when broken and without eX- posing any metallic surface to the table, thus avoiding scratching of the table by the fasteners.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of my invention., Figure 1 represents a plan view of the board with the hands secured in the holders. Fig. 2 represents a plan view of the discarding with the cards in place in the holders. Fig. 3 represents a vertical sectional view of a portion of one of the playingboards, showing a hand secured in one of the holders. Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the bottom of one of the playing boards or trays. In this view a portion ofthe cover of the board is stripped back, so as to show the location thereunder of the holder-fastener C. Fig. 5 represents an elevation view of the fastening device for securing one end of the holder to the board.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.

A indicates the board or tray, preferably of cardboard, of which two or more may be used. These boards are preferably of a square shape. A rubber or other elastic band B is secured at one end to the board A, near one corner, and extends diagonally across the board to the opposite corner, at which place the other end of the elastic band or holder is secured to the board. A similar band is. similarly secured to the board at right angles to the first band and connecting the two other corners. The device for securing the ends of the bands to the board consists of a cleat similar to the McGill fastenerl and illustrated in Fig. 5, which is thrust through the board from below and through the end of the band, after which the two arms are bent down- Wardly against the board. Each end of t-he band is thus secured, after which the cloth or paper cover G is pasted or otherwise secured upon'the under side' of the board A, thus covering the metallic head of the cleat, so as to prevent it scratching the table when the board is used in play. In case a band breaks lit is easily replaced with a new one by bending up the free ends of the clip C, removing the. broken band and inserting the clip through the end of the new band and bending the ends of the clip down, as in the first place. The bands are preferably used double and are secured to the board with a half-turn between the opposite ends. The cards may be inserted between the two strands near the clip or simply slipped under both strands, the first way beingthe preferable one.,

Fig. 3 illustrates the position of the cards when placed between the strands of the band or holder. D indicates the hands or cards allotted to each player.

E indicates the discard-board used in gam es in which cards are discarded by each of the players, as in the game of high iive. The discard-board is provided with as many holders as there are packs of cards used inthe play, which may number two or more, twelve being the number ordinarily used. In case. it is not convenient to have all the holders for the discards on one board, as many may be used as may be deemed convenient. The

holders for the discards consist of an elastic IOO band or bands F, secured at one end to one side of of the board E, and passing through the board and up again across to the opposite side of the board where the other end of the elastic band is secured to the board, as shown in Fig. 2. The number of holders formed by the elastic depends upon the number of times it is passed down and up through the board, the space between where the elastic goes down through the board and where it comes up through it is such that the discarded cards may be slipped under the elastic bands between the said points. Each of the playingboards are numbered consecutively upon the rear side. Each holder for the discards is numbered to correspond with one of the playing-boards.

I do not confine myself to the speciiic form of holder illustrated for securing the discards to the board E, nor to the use of the board E, as it is obvious that various other i'orms of holders may be used, so long as each set of r discards is kept separate from the others.

II indicates a dial, around the periphery of which are the characters representing the four suits and numerals from l to 14, inclusive. This dial may be marked upon the face of the board in any convenient place or it may be printed upon paper or other material and secured to the face of the board. Centrally located within the circle of characters II, and pivotally secured to the board in any suitable manner are two indicating hands or pointers I and J. The manner of securing the pointers I and J to the board ordinarily employed by me is to pass a fastener similar to the one illustrated in Fig. 5 through a round opening in the inner end of the pointer and through the board and then bend the two arms of the clip C against the under side of the board.

My invention is operated as follows in playing whist Each player after playing his hand i places it under one end ot' the holder B. One of the pointers is then moved to a position pointing to the character representing the suit that was trump during the game or hand. The other hand is then moved opposite the numeral denoting the number of the hand that was the leading hand. The board is then placed on one side and the next pack of cards is used, the hands after playing being disposed of as in the iirst instance and the pointers set to indicate the trump and the leading hand. In this manner all of the hands are played, after which the boards are shuiiled and the duplicate play is begun. Each corner of each of the playing-boards is numbered, and in beginning the play each player is allotteda number, the odd numbers playing together and the even numbers playing together. Upon beginning the duplicate play the evens take the odd numbers7 and vice versa, No. 1 hand going to No. 2, No. 2 to No. 3, No. 3 to No. 4 and No. 4 taking No. l hand. indicated by the pointer is trumps, and the number indicated by the other pointer leads.

In playing high iive, beginning with No. l board, all the discards are placed in holder No. l on the discard-board, and the hands when played are disposed of as in whist. The indicater-pointers are set after the hand is played to the numbers on the dial showing the number of hand that led and the amount bid. On the return play of that hand the one holding the bidders or leaders hand bids the same amount indicated by the dial-pointer. For instance, if the indicator has one hand pointing to three and the other to twelve, No. 3 hand bids twelve and leads. In playing high five no pointer is used to indicate the trump, the complexion of the bidders hand making the trump obvious, and when he bids the amount indicated by the pointer he names the trump. After each hand has been played the second time the cards are placed in the holder on the discard-board indicated by corresponding numbers. In this manner the discarded cards of each pack are kept separate throughout the game.

I do not coniine myself to the games of whist and high five in using my invention, as the apparatus may be used to play other duplicate games. Nor is it essential in practicing my invention to limit the persons playing to the number of four, as the same results may be obtained by using two or more packs and having the playing-boards arranged to hold two or more hands, the only requisite being the changing of the title of the player from the number used in the original play to another number when playing the duplicate play.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An apparatus of the kind described consisting oi' a series of trays each of which is provided with holders for the several hands and a character upon each tray to distinguish it from the others, and an auxiliary tray pro vided with a number of holders equal to the number of playing trays each holder on the said auxiliary tray being provided with a character corresponding to the distinguishing character of one of the playing trays, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER C. SLAVENS, JR.

lVitnesses:

WARREN D. HOUSE, J. F. HADLEY.

In playing any return hand the suit IOO IIO 

